North Philadelphia Health System (“NPHS”) was incorporated in August of 1990 as a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation to own and operate Girard Medical Center (“GMC”) and St. Joseph’s Hospital (“SJH”), collectively (the “Hospitals”) after both filed plans of reorganization in their respective Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases.

The Hospitals have a long history of service to one of the oldest neighborhoods in the City of Philadelphia.  Founded in 1848, St. Joseph's Hospital is one of the oldest hospitals in the City of Philadelphia (the “City”).  Girard Medical Center traces its roots to 1927, when it opened on its current site.  The two hospitals are located eight city blocks apart in lower North Central Philadelphia, an area geographically close to downtown Philadelphia, but very distant in terms of health care access, economic status and social and cultural makeup.  North Philadelphia is an area which suffers from virtually all of the burdens of economic deprivation and the Hospitals remain among the few institutional pillars which have remained committed to the community.  The Hospitals developed on separate independent paths, with distinct medical staffs, governance and management until their paths converged together during the 1980's.

In the early 1980's, the Hospitals conducted total facility replacements, financed by the issuance of bonds.  In 1982, SJH opened a new 146-bed hospital to replace the original facility that had been significantly damaged in a severe fire.  In that same year of 1982, GMC (known as Giuffre Medical Center until 1989) opened two new hospital buildings which housed 234 beds replacing the original 1927 Tower building.

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